Coin inserting mechanism for coin controlled vending apparatus



O. SJUVE Dec. 3, 1935.

COIN INSERTING MECHANISM FOR COIN CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15, 1934 2. Sheets-Sheet l 0. SJUVE COIN INSERTING MECHANISM FOR COIN CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1934 Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ole Sjuve, Hoijord, near Tonsberg, Norway Application August 15,

1934, Serial No. 739,969

In Norway September 25, 1933 11 Claims.

The present invention relates to a coin inserting mechanism for coin-controlled vending apparatus of the type in which a coin or token is deposited in the apparatus and thereby releases ,a :goods delivering mechanism which normally .is locked.

The invention is mainly distinguished in that the coin inserting mechanism comprises 9. normally locked sleeve shaped member connected 10 with goods delivering mechanism, which sleeveshaped member is rotatably mounted in a stationary sleeve and encompasses a stationary screw, the sleeve shaped member and the sleeve in which it is mounted being provided with openings-or slits through which a coin may be inserted with its 'plane at right angles to the axisof said sleeve shaped member and down into the thread of the screw so that said coin may release the locking mechanism for the rotatable member and allow the-same to be rotated a part of a revolution or one or more revolutions, depending upon at which point of the screw the coin is inserted into the thread thereof.

'The invention may be used in connection with coin-controlled vending apparatus of any type and for any goods, but in the present case it will be described in connection with a liquid dispensing apparatus with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the apparatus along the line I-I of Figure 2,

Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1,

Figure 3 shows the apparatus in Figure 1 seen from the rear side thereof,

Figure 4 is a section through the coin guides on the line IV-IV in Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view.

In the drawings I and 2 denote two plates or frames which are interconnected by means of bolts 3 and distance pieces 4. Between said frames is secured a sleeve 5, one end of which is closed by means of the frame 2 while the other end communicates with a corresponding aperture in the frame I. In the sleeve 5 is rotatably mounted a sleeve shaped member 6, hereinafter described. Within the member 6 is arranged a stationary screw 1 having taps 'l and'l" on which the member Bmay rotate. The tap 'l' is secured in the .frame 12 and the tap 1" is mounted in a bracket 8 secured to the frame I.

On the end .surface of the member 6, which faces the open end of the sleeve 5, is arranged a projection 9 on which a pinion I is loosely mounted, and on the tap 1" of the screw 1 is loosely mounted another pinion II which abuts the end surface of the projection 9. In the rotatable member 6 is mounted spring acted taps 22, I3 which co-operate with Wedge-shaped grooves 10, H in the side surface of the pinions If), II respectively so that said taps during the rotation of the pinions in one or the other direc tion rotate the member 6, but during rotation of the pinions in the opposite direction slip out of the grooves and :aiford no rotating movement to the member 6. The grooves I0, .I I in the pinions are so arranged in relation to .each other that the pinions operate to rotate the member 6 in one and the same direction when rotated in opposite directions as hereinafter described.

The pinions mesh with an inside toothed segment l4 and a toothed wheel [5 respectively (Figure 3) which are secured together and mounted rotatably on a tap '16 in the frame 1. The wheel [5 meshes with atoothed segment I! which is secured .on a shaft 18 rotatably mounted in the upper end of the frames I, 2.

At one of its ends the shaft I8 is provided with a handle I9, andat the other end it is suitably connected to the goods delivering mechanism, which in the-present case may consist of the delivery valve of a liquid dispensing apparatus (not shown).

On a shaft 20, which is secured in the frames l, 2, is swingably mounted a locking piece 2| (Figure 1) which extends through an opening in the sleeve 5 and projects into an axial slot 22 in the rotatable member 6 and said locking piece 21 extends the whole length of the screw 1. In the position shown in the drawings the locking .piece protrudes into the path of the side edge 23 of the slot 22 and prevents rotation of the member 6.

The mechanism is arranged in a housing 25 with a door 24 provided therein (Figure 2). the upper end of one of the sides, the right side in Figure l, the housing 25 is provided with slots 25 for the insertion of suitable tokens or coins which by means of guides 21 are conducted to tubes or channels 28 extending downwardly round the sleeve 5 as shown in Figure 1.

The guides 21 are provided with lists 29, 30, 3| which are so formed and arranged that only coins having a predetermined size maybe inserted in the channels 28. During the insertion the coin rests on thelist 3|, which is arranged at such a distance from the guide 21 that the coin, if it is too thin, falls betweenthe guide and list down into an underlying channel 32 which leads the coin to a funnel 33 from which it is delivered by means of a channel 34 and a funnel 35, through an opening 36 to a bowl 3'! at the lower end of the same side at which it is inserted. If the coin has too little diameter, the upper edge thereof will not rest against the upper list 28, but falls inwards against the guide 2?, whereby the lower edge of the coin slips outside the list 3| so that the coin falls down into the channel 32 and is delivered as described above.

The channels 28 are provided with side openings 38, facing or communicating with corresponding openings in the stationary sleeve 5, through which the coin is inserted into the rotatable member 6. Through the side walls of the channels 28 are arranged bores 39 serving to receive displaceable taps 45 which constitute stops for the coins under insertion. If a tap 4B is placed in the upper bore 39, the firstcoin inserted into the channel 28 abuts said tap and is guided directly into the rotatable member 6 through the opening 38. Ifthe tap is placed in the next bore, the first coin falls down into the channel and is stopped by the tap 40 in such a position that it would serve as a stop for the next coin and guide the same through the opening 38.

As shown-in Figure2, the tap 40 may be of different length and may be inserted through .the frame 2 so that in the first channel, counted from the frame 2, the first coin would be guided 1 into the rotatable member, in the second channel the second coin, in the third channel the third coin and in the fourth channel the fourth coin, while the preceding coins remain in the channels.

Assuming, as before mentioned, that the shaft i8 is connected to the delivery valve of a liquid dispensing apparatus, for example of the type having two measuring containers, which are emptied through a .common delivery valve by different angle position thereof, and in which one of the containers is filled while the other is emptied, the apparatus operates in the following manner:

If a quantity of liquid corresponding to the contents of both of the measuring containers, is to be delivered, two coins are inserted through the slot 25 provided for that purpose. The coins are guided, as described above, into the channel 28, the second from the frame 2 in Figure 2, in which the first coin remains in the channel resting against the tap ll), while the last inserted coin is guided through the opening 38 into the rotatable member 6.

The coin, which is inserted into the member 6 with its plane at right angles to the axis of said member, falls down into a thread of the screw 7 and rests against the bottom thereof and against the side edge 23, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

As the handle I9 on the shaft I8 is moved from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position denoted at A for the operation of the delivery valve, the rotatable member 6, by means of the segment wheel l5, segment I4 and pinion I, isrotated one turn in clock-wise direction (Figure 1) as the spring acted tap l3 for the pinion slips out of the groove therein so that said pinion may rotate freely.

During the rotation of the member 6, the coin inserted therein raises the locking piece 2| so that the edge 23 may pass below it. When the member 6 has undergone one revolution it again occupies the starting position shown in Figure 1, while the coin has been displaced in the longitudinal direction of the screw a distance corresponding to the pitch of the threads.

When the handle I 9 is returned to the starting position for the delivery of the liquid in the other measuring container, the member 6 again will be 5 rotated one revolution in the same direction by means of the segment wheel l5 and pinion II, as the pinion IO rotates freely. The coin again raises the locking piece 2| so that the edge 23 may pass. Immediately after this has occured u the coin impinges upon an inclined plane 4|, arranged in the thread, along which the coin by means of the following edge 23, is forced out through a slit 42 in the sleeve 5 and falls down on the bottom of the housing or into a collecting 15 box.

After the member 6 has undergone the second revolution and again occupies the position shown in Figure 1 so that the piece 2| locks the member 6, it is not possible to rotate the same before a coin again is inserted in the manner described above.

The side openings 38, the inclined planes 4| in the thread of the screw and theslits 42 in the sleeve 5, are so arranged in relation to each other that a coin inserted through the first channel releases the locking piece 2| once, through the second channel twice, the third three times and the fourth four times, before it is forced out as described above.

In order to ensure that the handle I!) is moved to the end positions the segment M on its outer circumference is provided with teeth 43 co-opcrating with a spring or weight loaded pawl 44 which is so arranged that the handle I9, when the movement is started has to be moved entirely to the end position before the return movement can take place. In case of the connection between the pinions ID, and therotatable member 6. should fail for any reason, whereby the delivery could take place undisturbed, two locking taps are mounted in the frame I, which taps normally project from the frame and prevent the movement of the segment I 4. The taps 45 are secured on a frame 41 swingably mounted on a 45 shaft 46 and acted upon by means of a spring 48 which presses the frame against the frame I in which position of the frame 41 the taps 45 are situated in looking position. The swingable locking piece 2| is provided with a wedge-shaped projection 49 co-operating with an arm 50 on the frame 4'! in such a manner that said projection, when the locking piece 2| is raised during the rotation of the member 6, swings the frame 41 out from the frame I and thereby the taps 45 inwardly so that the segment I 4 may be moved freely.

At the lower side thechannels 28 are provided with bottoms 5| which are secured to two end pieces 52 and 53 displac-eably mounted on shafts 54, 55 secured between the frames 2. Between the end pieces 52, 53 is secured an arm 56 (Figures 1 and 3) to which is secured a tap 57 projecting through an opening 51 in the frame I. At the underside of the segment M is arranged a cam-shaped projection 58 (Figure 2) which, during the movement of said segment, forces the tap 5'| inwardly whereby the bottoms 5| are displaced in the side direction so that the coins remaining in the channels fall down. The end pieces 52, 53 are acted upon by springs 52, 53 so that when released they always return to the position in which the bottoms close the channels 28. V

. As. will be understood the. detailed construc- .75

tion may be varied in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention, and the apparatus may be adapted to vending apparatus of diiferent type and operation.

If the apparatus is to be used for manual delivering the locking piece 2| is secured in raised position. This may be effected for example, by providing said piece with a tap l8 projecting to the outer side of the frame 2 through an opening H, which tap by means of a latch 19 or the like may be held in raised position (Figure in which the locking piece is released.

What is claimed is,

1. Coin controlled apparatus for operating a vending machine comprising a casing, a sleeveshaped member rotatably mounted therein operatively connected to the goods delivering mechanism to rotate upon actuation of the same, a stationary screw extending axially within said rotatable sleeve shaped member, a stationary sleeve surrounding said sleeve shaped member, said sleeve and sleeve-shaped member having longitudinal slots therein normally registered with each other and each extending the length of the stationary screw, coin chutes leading to said slots from the exterior of the casing, a second longitudinal slot in said stationary sleeve also registering normally with the longitudinal slot in the sleeve-shaped member and a pivotally mounted stop biased to project through the slot in the stationary sleeve and into the slot in the sleeveshaped member and adapted to swing out of said slot, whereby a coin inserted into one of said coin chutes is engaged between the threads of the stationary screw and on rotation of said sleeveshaped member lifts the stop member out of the slot of said sleeve-shaped member allowing continued rotation of the same and simultaneously the coin is advanced longitudinally of the stationary screw.

2. A mechanism as recited in claim 1, in which the slot in the stationary sleeve communicates with a plurality of coin chutes.

3. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which inclined guides are arranged in the thread of the stationary screw and there are slots in the stationary sleeve adjacent said guides whereby the coin is forced out through said slots when the rotatable sleeve-shaped member has rotated a predetermined extent.

4. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which the connection between the goods delivering mechanism and said sleeve-shaped member comprises two pinions and oppositely acting oneway connections between said sleeve-shaped member and said pinions whereby when the pinions are actuated in one direction one pinion will rotate the cylinder and when they are actuated in the other direction the other pinion will rotate the cylinder.

5. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which the connection between the goods delivering mechanism and said sleeve-shaped member comprises two pinions and oppositely acting oneway connections between said sleeve-shaped member and said pinions, and the means for actuating said pinions comprises a shaft, a toothed segment mounted thereon, a wheel meshing with said segment and a second segment rig- 5 idly connected with said wheel, said second segment meshing with one of said pinions and said wheel With the other of said pinions.

6. A mechanismaccording to claim 1, in which the coin chutes have extensions beyond said slots in the sleeve and adjustable stops in said extensions.

7. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which the coin chutes have extensions beyond said slots in the sleeve and adjustable stops in said extensions, and movable bottoms in said extensions.

8. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, in which the coin chutes have extensions beyond said slots in the sleeve and adjustable stops in said extensions, and movable bottoms in said extensions, and means for moving said movable bottoms longitudinally of the sleeve-shaped member once for each revolution of said member.

9. A coin controlled mechanism comprising a casing, a stationary screw supported therein, a rotatable sleeve-shaped member surrounding said screw and having a longitudinal slot extending over the length of said screw, coin chutes leading from the exterior of the casing to said slots and guiding an inserted coin into engagement with the threads of said screw and one side of said slot, extensions on said chutes, movable bottom pieces on said extensions, means for rotating said sleeve-shaped member comprising a toothed segment, a cam on said segment, a tip projecting through said casing and in the path of said cam,

to prevent return movement before completion of the stroke of the segment connections between said cam and said movable bottom pieces whereby the bottom pieces are moved longitudinally of the screw at each rotation of the sleeve-shaped member and a pivoted detent normally in the path of the coin to prevent rotation of the sleeve shaped member when the coin is lacking.

10. A coin controlled mechanism comprising a stationary screw, a rotatable longitudinal sleeveshaped member with a longitudinal slot therein surrounding the same, means for guiding a coin into said slot and into engagement with the threads of said screw and one side of said slot, whereby rotation of the sleeve-shaped member moves the coin longitudinally of the slot, a pivoted detent normally in the path of the coin to prevent rotation of the sleeve-shaped member when the coin is lacking, and means for forcing the coin out of engagement with the screw threads at a predetermined point.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, in which there are a plurality of means for forcing a coin out of engagement with the threads of the screw arranged at unequal distances along the axis of the screw.

OLE SJUVE. 

